Going to a ShowMarcus Center’s

Todd Wehr Theater

AT T H E

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I am going to see a First Stage show at the Todd Wehr Theater.

I am going to see the show with____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Watching a play is like watching TV or a movie, except people are on

stage in front of us.

They are called actors. They can see and hear me too. I can’t turn the channel or turn the volume up and down.

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A play is made up of many interesting things.

COSTUMES

SOUND

SCENERY

LIGHTING

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When we arrive at the theater, we will probably have to climb some stairs. There are stairs outside the building,

and inside the building.

We may need to wait in line to pick up our tickets.

When we are waiting, I can stay with my family or teacher.

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An usher will help us find our seats.

We will enter the theater and find

our seats.

There are bathrooms in the lobby. If I need to, I can use the bathroom

before we go to our seats.

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Someone will show us where to sit.

The audience area is for all of us.

The stage is for the actors only.

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When I am in the theater waiting for the show to start:

1. I can talk to my family or friends.2. I can take a short break in the lobby.

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There will be a lot of people in theater and it may get noisy.

If it gets too loud:

1. I can bring headphones if I want.

2. I can put my hands over my ears.

3. I can leave the room and take a short break in the lobby.

I can come back when I am ready.

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During the show:

1. I can watch and listen to the actors quietly.

2. I can applaud if I like something.

3. I can hold things in my hand that make

me feel comfortable.

If I need to talk:

1. I can talk quietly to my family.

2. I can write down what I want to say.

3. I can leave the room.

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After the show there will be a “talkback.”

The talkback is a chance for me to ask questions.

1. I will raise my hand to show that I want to ask a question.

2. I will wait for the leader to call on me to ask my question.

3. I don’t have to ask a question if I don’t want.

I can ask different kinds of questions:

1. I can ask questions about the show.

2. I can ask questions about the scenery, costumes, lights, or sound.

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After the show is finished, I will leave the theater with my family.

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Meet the characters in

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This is Charlie Brown.

He is searching for the true meaning of Christmas.

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This is Linus.

He is Charlie Brown’s best friend. He doesn’t want to get rid of his blanket.

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This is Lucy.

She is Linus’s big sister. She is tough, and likes to tell other people what to do.

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This is Sally.

She is Charlie Brown’s little sister. She is very specific about what she wants.

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This is Pig Pen.

He isn’t very clean. He is very kind.

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This is Snoopy.

Snoopy is Charlie Brown’s dog. He is very silly, and is always up to something.

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This is Schroeder.

He plays the piano. His favorite composer is Beethoven.

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This is Patty, Frieda, and the rest of the Peanuts gang.

They are all kids in the neighborhood.

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This is Jack.

He is the musician who plays piano on stage during the play.

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What happens in the play?This play is almost exactly like the 1965 TV special of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. There are some additional moments of Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace, which is reminiscent of scenes in the 1966 TV special “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. Watching these animated specials online will give you a great sense of what to expect when coming to see this play!

• Moments in our play that differ from the TV Christmas special are italicized. • Notice the words underlined and bolded, those are times the actors and sound might get loud.

You may want to cover your ears or use headphones. • There is live music underscoring most of the play. The moments of singing are written in red letters.

Jack, the pianist, begins the show by making a short announcement and taking his seat at the piano. He begins to play a compilation of holiday and Peanuts music, and the actors who are offstage begin to sing along with ooo’s. A blue doghouse is rolled out onto the stage, and under a blanket of snow, Snoopy appears! He goes inside of his doghouse and begins to throw things out of it. He finds what he is looking for – his food bowl – and leaves. The Peanuts gang enters, doing various activities. Lucy sets up a football for Charlie Brown to kick, but of course, she pulls it away just in time. The Peanuts gang laughs at Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown makes his way over to the brick wall, and Linus meets him there. It begins to snow! The Peanuts gang is all around the ice rink, and they sing Christmastime Is Here. Two girls begin to ice skate. Charlie Brown tells Linus that he’s feeling unhappy this Christmas season. He thinks there’s more to the holiday besides decorating trees and getting presents. The Peanuts gang continues singing, and Snoopy tries to do some ice skating as well. He’s not as graceful as the girls, and he ends up bumping everyone off of the rink!

Charlie Brown goes to his mailbox and yells “Hello in there”. He is disappointed to not find any Christmas cards for him. Others walk by him, holding the cards they received. Snoopy has a big bag full of cards! Charlie Brown and Pig Pen work together to build a snowman.

The sound of children singing ooo’s is heard. Snoopy reappears, this time dressed as the World War I Flying Ace. He pretends that his doghouse is a biplane, and begins to prepare for a battle with the Red Baron. The engine is revved up, and the Flying Ace takes off on an imaginary flight. Snoopy hears the Red Baron flying below him, and he laughs. He pretends to fire missiles at opponents.

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Eventually, the Flying Ace’s biplane is hit, and his plane goes down. This is all pretend, and Snoopy will be okay. A tiny Snoopy drops down from the sky, wearing a parachute. The big Snoopy will come back on stage very soon.

The Peanuts gang walks outside and admires the landscape. It begins to snow! They catch snowflakes on their tongues and throw snowballs.

Snoopy is reappears from the audience area, still in role as the Flying Ace. He is sneaking behind enemy lines. He hides behind a stone monolith, and scurries between the jacks on the floor, very carefully. He finds a small pub, and enjoys a glass of root beer. The pianist at the pub is playing songs that bring up very strong emotions for the Flying Ace. He feels great joy and great sorrow, switching back and forth between the two. When he feels joy, he dances. When he feels sorrow, he cries. While he’s crying, he lets out a howl! He leaves the pub, feeling sad.

Meanwhile, Lucy’s Psychiatric Booth is ready for customers. Lucy hurries over to offer Charlie Brown some advice, and he takes a seat. First, she makes Charlie Brown pay one nickel for her services, and she talks about how much she loves money. She and Charlie Brown have a discussion about fears that he may have. Charlie Brown realizes that he may have pantophobia – the fear of everything! When Lucy describes that fear, Charlie Brown exclaims “that’s it!”, and surprises Lucy. Then, Lucy suggests that perhaps what Charlie Brown needs this holiday season is some involvement – a commitment to something. She offers him the position of Director for the Christmas play! Charlie is unsure about this job, but accepts the offer.

As he is walking home, Charlie Brown finds Snoopy decorating his doghouse. He is adding garland, lights, and ornaments. Charlie Brown discovers that he’s doing it in the hopes of winning a contest and

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getting money. Charlie Brown can’t believe it! Even his dog is wrapped up in the commercialism of Christmas! Snoopy retrieves an extension cord, plugs it in, and the decorations on his dog house light up. Sally appears, and asks Charlie Brown to help her write a letter to Santa. She asks for specific colors and sizes of her desired gifts, and also says Santa can bring her money. Charlie Brown is so frustrated.

Snoopy sees Linus’s blanket, and tries to take it away from him. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown makes his way to the auditorium. It is time to rehearse the Christmas Play. The Peanuts gang is so excited. They are playing fun music, dancing, and singing “la la la la la”. Lucy uses a megaphone to ask everyone to be “QUIET!”. Charlie Brown enters, and everyone half-heartedly claps. Snoopy lets out a “boo”. Charlie Brown begins to instruct the cast on how to rehearse the play. The Peanuts gang is so excited. They shout “Yeah!” and begins dance again to the fun music. The director gets everyone to quiet down once again by saying “Stop the music. Stop the music”. Snoopy attempts to help by setting up Charlie Brown’s director chair, but he has some trouble getting it ready. He wrestles with the chair. Finally, it is set up. They start to pass out the scripts and assign roles to everyone. Lucy tells Snoopy that he’ll need to play all of the animals, and asks him to imitate their sounds and movement. He shows her that he can be a sheep, a cow, and a penguin. Snoopy keeps going, pretending to be a vulture, a panther, and an elephant. Lucy starts to get irritated, and then Snoopy kisses her! Lucy feels disgusted! Charlie Brown brings order back to the room, and Lucy continues to hand out scripts. The director says “Places, everybody!” and asks Schroeder to begin playing. The Peanuts gang shouts “Yeah!”, the fun music starts again, and everyone is dancing! Charlie Brown says “Cut! Cut!”. When the cast finally gets ready to focus, Lucy tells everyone it’s time for a lunch break! Snoopy begs Charlie Brown for food. Lucy talks to Charlie Brown about her role as the Christmas Queen. Everyone comes back together, and on the director’s cue of “Action”, they all shout “Yeah!” and fun music plays once again! Everyone is dancing! Charlie Brown has had enough. He tells the cast that this is all wrong. He discovers that perhaps having a Christmas tree will help. Lucy asks him to get a big, shiny one. Linus accompanies Charlie Brown as he leaves the auditorium to search for a tree. When he’s gone, the Peanuts gang enjoys the fun music and dances. Everyone leaves the stage.

Music picks up again with Jack playing the piano. Snoopy enters, dressed as Santa, and joins Jack for some music. He plays the ukulele, and then he plays the kazoo! Jack joins him and plays a kazoo, too. Snoopy then begins to asking for donations. He is unsuccessful, as everyone walks right by him. Next, the Christmas tree lot appears. We hear the sound of children singing ooo’s offstage.

Some slow-moving searchlights are seen. Linus suggests following them to find the Christmas tree lot. Charlie Brown and Linus walk amongst the shiny artificial trees. Charlie Brown feels uneasy about all of these big, fake, colorful trees. He notices a tiny little tree, and decides that this one needs his care. He picks it up to bring it to the auditorium, even though Linus points out that it does not match Lucy’s description for a tree. As Linus and Charlie Brown leave the tree lot, Snoopy sets down his food bowl and pretends that it is a sled! He rides through a massive pile of snow, but

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eventually he falls off of the sled and into the snow.

Schroeder is sitting at his piano, and he begins to play “Fur Elise”, by Beethoven. Lucy says that this is not the right music for the Christmas play, as Beethoven is not a very important person. Schroeder begins to play some jazzy tunes, and Snoopy hears the music. Snoopy begins to dance lightly, and then jumps on the piano, dancing very enthusiastically! Schroeder stops playing, but Snoopy does not notice. He keeps dancing, and Lucy and Schroeder watch in silence. He then realizes the music has stopped and he slips away, feeling embarrassed. Lucy asks Schroeder to play Jingle Bells, but does not recognize it until he plays the most basic notes. When she hears the one she was hoping for, she yells “that’s it!”, surprising Schroeder.

Charlie Brown and Linus return with the tree, proudly setting it down. The Peanuts gang is shocked to see such a scrawny, sad-looking tree. They tell Charlie Brown that he did a terrible job with this task. They laugh at him and they laugh at the tree. They all leave. Hurt, Charlie Brown shouts out “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”. Linus announces that he does, and asks for the lights to be dimmed. A click is heard as the lights turn down a little bit. Linus tells the story of the birth of the Lord. Charlie Brown picks up his tree and exits the auditorium. As they consider the meaning of Christmas, the Peanuts gang begins to leave, one by one.

Alone, Charlie Brown sings “oh, that we could always see such spirit through the year”. Linus’s voice is heard, as he shares a snippet of his speech again. It begins to snow. Charlie Brown sees a first prize ribbon on Snoopy’s doghouse. He takes an ornament from the house and places it on the tiny tree. The heavy ornament makes the tree’s branch curve all the way down to the ground. Charlie Brown exclaims “I’ve killed it! Oh, everything I touch gets ruined!” and exits. Linus comes in, and wraps a blanket around it. The rest of the Peanuts gang follows behind him. Snoopy whistles, and everyone begins to take action on a great plan. They take the decorations off of the doghouse and begin to adorn the tiny tree. They step back and admire it while singing some ooo’s. Lucy admits that Charlie Brown did a good job finding a tree. Charlie Brown walks in to see them all together, and the Peanuts gang exclaims “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!”. All together, they sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

The play ends with some more Christmas music. The Peanuts gang and Snoopy sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. They invite the audience to sing along by saying “Everybody sing along!” You can sing along if you want to. Lyrics for the sing-along are on the next page.

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Sing-Along LyricsWe wish you a merry ChristmasWe wish you a merry ChristmasWe wish you a merry Christmas

And a happy New Year

Gloria in excelsis deoGloria in excelsis deo

Silent night, holy night!All is calm, all is bright.

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.Holy infant so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace,Sleep in heavenly peace

Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey!

Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey!

Dashing through the snow,On a one horse open sleigh,

Over the fields we go,Laughing all the way, ha, ha, ha,

Bells on bobtail ringMaking spirits bright

What fun it is to ride and singA sleighing song tonight!

Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey!

Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh!

We wish you a merry ChristmasWe wish you a merry ChristmasWe wish you a merry Christmas

And a happy New Year

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The End.